With some policy makers looking to cut Medicaid to close budget gaps, Families USA, a nonprofit that advocates for health care consumers, came out with a report showing the impact to Virginians. Cuts would hurt 285,000 seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid, the report said.

Medicaid is critical for Virginia seniors and people with disabilities who need long-term care, the report said. Few people have insurance that covers long-term care, which can be expensive. Nursing home stays in Virginia average $69,700 a year, and 61 percent of nursing home residents depend on Medicaid to pay for it.

Plus, 45.6 percent of Medicaid spending on long-term care in Virginia helps keep people out of nursing homes. It pays for care that helps 25,000 Virginians stay in their homes. Keeping people in their homes is cheaper than caring for them in nursing homes.

Medicaid also provides jobs. More than 55,000 direct care workers provide care to state residents who need long-term services, with funding coming from Medicaid and other sources. That workforce will increase by 46.7 percent by 2016 in order to meet anticipated demand, the report said. Cuts to Medicaid may mean reductions in those workers' pay, which may shrink the workfroce and lead to a lower quality of care, the report said.